Steel Life

(Vida ferrea)
Manuel Bauer | Documentary

2022 | 95 minutes | Peru, Spain

A train trek from Andes to Pacific, Steel Life exposes the sociopolitical complexities of Peru, rich in resources but poor in health and education.

Synopsis

Peruvian director Manuel Bauer offers a fascinating journey aboard a freight train across Peru, an incredible descent from the Altiplano lead mines, at 4,800 meters altitude, to the Pacific shore.

Set amidst gorgeous landscapes, this understated portrait alternates between a road movie peppered with local flair and the social underpinnings of a country victim to Neo-colonialism.

As the train exits its stations, the film uncovers the country’s disillusioned inhabitants. We find a century-old bar that refuses to disappear, a nurse trying to help children with too much lead in their blood to pass through a metal detector, and a city that devours itself with the memories of the people who live in it.

The documentary exposes the paradox of a country rich in resources but poor in human services. While the country celebrates Independence Day with populist speeches and street parades, its population wavers between skepticism and resignation as its resources disappear aboard foreign cargo ships.

Reviews

“Manuel Bauer’s documentary debut weaves a vivid tapestry of experiences that captures the complex sociopolitical fabric of contemporary Peru." - Phuong Le, The Guardian

This vivid documentary follows a train from the Andes to Port of Callao on the Pacific coast, capturing [Peru's] rich life and toxic industrial legacies along the way." - Phuong Le, The Guardian

“The ‘railroad movie’ that shows the beauty and disenchantment of today’s Peru.” – Héctor L. Martinez, El País

Citation
Main credits

Bauer, Manuel (film director)
Bauer, Manuel (film producer)
Bauer, Manuel (screenwriter)
Yépez, Sandra (film producer)

Other credits

Cinematography, José Luis Salomón; editing, Clara Martínez Malagelada, Manuel Bauer.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,south america,south american countries,countries in south america,argentina,bolivia,brazil,chile,colombia,ecuador,guyana,paraguay,peru,suriname,uruguay,venezuela,south american politics,south american culture,south american cuisine,south american education,south america in media,south american languages,south america history,environment,environmental,environmentalism,climate,climate change,global warming,habitat,ecosystem,ecology,eco,earth,planet,water,sustainable,sustainability,deforestation,agriculture,green,green economy,latin american studies,caribbean american studies,island studies,latin american culture,latin american history,latin american politics, caribbean american culture,caribbean american history,caribbean american politics, latin american languages,latin american and caribbean studies,hispanic american studies,hispanic people,hispanic culture,hispanic politics,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation ,geography,location,place,country,location,physical place,terrain,spatial awareness,territory,map,place,space,maps,cartography,countries,cities,mountains,territories,states,nations,borders,boundaries,topology,topography,labor studies,employment studies,workers rights,workers’ rights,organizing,labor unions,trade unions,unions,industry,employment law,working class,labor rights,labor equity,employment,union organizing,labor organizing,labor rights movements,employment rights movements,workers’ rights movement,workers rights movements,economics,social class,money,capital,capitalism,class,economy,prejudice,intersectionality,inequality,poverty,income gap,wage gap,class warfare,elitism,snobbery,bourgeois,poverty,upper class,middle class,lower class,nouveau riche,health,healthy,physical health,mental health,emotional health,health equity,public health,health care,health policy,fitness,veracity,welfare,soundness,aging,age,old age,senior,youth,middle age,aging gracefully,advanced age,collective health,maturity,migration studies,migrant studies,immigration studies,refugee studies,diaspora studies,resettlement studies,settlement studies,migration,migrant,immigration,refugee,diaspora,resettlement,settlement,refugees,international migration,continental migration,resettling,settlers,settler,migrant,migrant studies,first generation immigrant,first generation immigration,new americans,new spaniards; "Steel Life"; Pragda Films
Clips
No clips are available yet.
Festivals

International Critics’ Award; Visions du Réel - FICRESCI Award; Al Este - Special Jury Mention; Alcances-Cadiz International Fim Festival - Best Feature Film; Cinema Verite Iran - Special Jury Award; Pordenone Film Festival - Critic´s Award SNCCI

DIRECTOR: Manuel Bauer

NATIONALITY: Peru, Spain

YEAR: 2022

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Spanish

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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